Pilots put through the sniff test - Yahoo!7

One airline has raised eyebrows with its bizarre sniff test that screens potential pilots for body odour.

Chinese international carrier Hainan Airlines operates a zero-body-odour policy and has come under fire for making flight crew applicants have their bare armpits sniffed during the interview process, website AsiaOne reports.

“I passed everything, but I was doomed by my armpits, which are always a bit whiffy,” one rejected applicant said.

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The company is defending the rule, with one spokesman telling a Chinese news website its flight crew often interacts with passengers “and no passenger wants to smell a pilot’s armpits”.

The airline also says the smell check reflects a pilot’s stress management skills – if they’ve worked up a sweat, clearly they can’t keep their cool.